Hellena
He glances at me from under his thick eyelashes, and I find myself forgetting how to eat normally. Each bite seems to go down in knots. I should be scared, more aware of my presence here among these people.
And yet, what am I doing? I'm enjoying every moment spent here.
Tonight's dinner is just Victor and me. It's the second time I've said his name in my mind, and damn! It sounds really good. My afternoon passed quickly, between Rafael's tour of the property and catching up on schoolwork. I'm starting to get used to this place.
Rafael also gave me a rundown of everything I need to know. Now I understand why they want revenge on my father and why they hate him so much. I'm still angry that he isn't the good guy, the hero I used to see all these years.
I am in the heart of the Marquez cartel. It would be a lie to say I don't know anything about them. I know enough to make me shudder in fear, but despite all this, I feel safe. And I think my reassurance comes from the one with those ocean eyes, the one who is looking at me right this second.
"Why aren't you eating? It irritates me to see you playing with your food," Victor's warm voice breaks through the silence, pulling me from my thoughts.
Even his voice seems to be from another world. One would expect members of the cartel to be more intimidating.
His cousin Luca, on the other hand, embodies that intimidating aura. But according to Rafael, Victor is the most fearsome of them all. Yet, I fail to see it. On the contrary, he appears to be the most harmless.
He always looks at me gently, and I sense his intention to protect me. It's strange. After all, he also wants my father dead. So why would he want to protect me?
"I don't eat beef," I whisper, reminding myself to answer.
Though there's no one else at the table besides us, I chose the seat furthest from him. Partly because I feel too intrigued by his presence, and partly because I know it's not a good idea. He is my father's enemy, after all. And I'm still loyal to the man who raised me alone all these years.
"Fernandez!" he calls out, his stare fixed on me.
From behind the doors leading to the kitchen, emerges the gray-haired old man who served us dinner.
"Yes, sir?" Fernandez's voice sounds rough, but I still feel safe when he speaks.
"No need for that!" I quickly shake my head and force myself to take a bite of the steak.
As soon as I chew, the taste of beef fills my mouth, and I force myself to swallow, even though I feel the urge to throw up.
"Spit it out!" I hear his order, and I cannot disobey.
My heart starts racing, and I avoid looking at him as I take the napkin next to the plate and throw the chewed piece of meat on it.
"Are there other dishes you don't like?" his tone returns to gentleness.
"No. I eat anything that doesn't contain beef. And I also love Italian food."
"How old were you when you moved to Colombia?"
I can't say I wasn't surprised by his question, but he probably knows a lot of things about my father.
"I was six."
"That's when your mother died, right?"
The indifference with which he asked such a question hits me unpleasantly.
I nod, unable to put the answer into words. I feel his eyes mercilessly roaming my face, and I tense up even more. I don't want any further questions.
"Fernández, you heard Hellena. I would like her menu to be made according to her preferences."
The old man smiles and disappears from the room. A cold shiver runs down my spine, and I know he's to blame. Victor keeps staring at me.
"I'll go swimming!" I announce, feeling his gaze lingering on the collar of the T-shirt I'm wearing, not far from my cleavage.
"You didn't eat!" he retorts in a cold, creepy voice.
Oh, I guess now I see why they say he's the worst.
I freeze, my hand on the back of the chair. I try to put on the most indifferent attitude and turn to look at him.
Big mistake. Those eyes again! I swear to God he will be the end of me. I'm starting to regret the enemy position we're in.
I force a smile as believable as possible and take a step in his direction. Even my feet seem to be betraying me. Am I losing the ability to walk?
"I ate enough!" I retort, my voice tinged with frustration.
I'm aware that what I ate won't satisfy my hunger, but it's too hard to stay around him for the moment. I turn my back and try to leave, but I don't even get to the stairs when I'm stopped in my tracks by his harsh voice.
"You will no longer be accompanied. You are free to go where you want and do what you want, but remember, if you set foot outside the walls surrounding La Bahía, my men are also under orders to take care of you! So be a smart girl and don't you dare think of running away!"
Another chill runs through me. What the heck is wrong with him? One day he talks about protecting me, and the next, he orders his men to shoot me?
I don't want to look at him. I'm too afraid of what I will see in his eyes. My brain goes numb, and before I realize it, I'm already in front of the bedroom. The door is not closed. Another order that Rafael passed on to me: when I'm not here, the door must remain open.
I close the door behind me and sift through the items Victor brought: clothes and toiletries. He's spoiling me with all these things, and again, I start to feel confused, blurring the lines of enmity.
Why is he behaving like this? Why did he only buy me expensive and nice things?
I rummage through the wardrobe, searching for something I can use to swim. Unfortunately, there's one thing he didn't include: a bathing suit. Considering there are several pools on the property, and one of them is just a few steps away from my bedroom, it's a necessity.
Since it's the end of the week, I plan to take full advantage of these two days off from school. I am crazy, I know. Any other normal person would try to run away, try to get in touch with someone. But who could I talk to? Sofia already knows where I am.
Shit! Probably the whole school knows, after the incident that happened in front of the high school.
The only person who could do something about my kidnapping would be my father. But who am I fooling? Dad wouldn't do anything to save me.
Sometimes I think that our move to this country, here in the center of criminality, was intentional. Given that he is the number one enemy of the drug trafficking organizations, the entire Colombian mob has put a target on him, waiting to turn him to ashes.
And why would you go live in the most dangerous place on earth when you know you have your child with you? The only logical explanation I've come up with throughout all these years syncs up with my current situation. It's the most legal way to get rid of a burden.
And as long as I carry his name, the threat comes directly to me. Sometimes I forget that I shouldn't underestimate my dad.
I open the laptop that I had left on the bed earlier, after finishing my classes, and begin to write an email to Sofia. You know the funny part? Victor gave me a coded laptop. He told me that his best IT guy took care of it.
When I opened it, I couldn't help but laugh. After I was left alone, of course. What he doesn't know is that I've been hacking these kinds of programs since grade school. I'm not a geek or anything, but I like computers. Especially the illegal part of it, where you're not allowed to enter.
Sofia replies almost immediately. We also chatted during classes, so she already knows almost everything that happened to me. She also told me that she received the invitation from Victor to visit me in Santa Marta, but her father didn't agree to it.
She can't leave her house as a punishment for skipping classes. In a way, I'm sorry that I won't have a chance to see her soon.
I send her another email asking her to let Mrs. Diaz know that I'm fine and that my father had arranged for someone to take care of me while he's away.
I don't know if she'll believe the lie. I mean, it's just half a lie. I'm here because someone is taking care of me, and also, I'm here because of my father's job. So, see? There is a grain of truth in my message.
I close the laptop and head to the bathroom to change. It's annoying that I can't lock any of the doors here, but I'll have to take Victor's word for it that I won't be bothered.
Although a part of me wants him to break his promise. I'd love for him to come inside while...
Che cavolo, Hellena! Stop thinking like that! He's the enemy!
As I finish preparing for the pool, I gather my hair into a bun and leave the room. Descending the stairs to the ground floor, I pass through the glass hallway, enveloped by lush plants.
This part of the house evokes the sensation of being in an Amazonian jungle.
Pushing open the enormous glass doors, I slip outside. Fortunately, there's nobody around. But then again, I shouldn't be surprised. This wing of the house is rarely used, aside from Victor and Luca. And I haven't seen Luca in a while.
I toss my white towel and slippers onto a lounger before removing my shorts, leaving me in just black boxers. The evening is drawing near, and the pool, covered by a glass dome, allows me to gaze up at the open sky. It's hard not to adore this place. Even as a captive.
A subtle smile forms at the thought. I begin to stroll around the pool, admiring the marble surroundings.
In one corner, water cascades like a waterfall from a makeshift rock, and I can't help but imagine the sensation of sitting beneath it.
I need this release; I plunge into the water, letting my body sink in the coldness.